The invention relates to an electrical connector assembly comprising a plug connector and a socket connector mating therewith, which plug connector and socket connector can be pushed into one another, which plug connector is provided with at least two rows of terminal connections which are accommodated in a first plastic housing and at least one row of which consists of male terminal pins, and which socket connector is provided with at least two rows of terminal connections which are accommodated in a second plastic housing and at least one row of which consists of female terminal connections, one male terminal pin always being in electrically conducting contact with a female terminal connection when plug connector and socket connector are pushed into one another, the plug connector being provided with at least one electrically conducting first type of shielding member arranged between the rows of terminal connections in the plug connector and being rigidly accommodated in the first housing, the socket connector being provided with at least one conducting second type of shielding member arranged between the rows of terminal connections in the socket connector, being rigidly accommodated in the second housing and comprising at least one first type of sprung contact element, which first shielding member and second shielding member make electrically conducting contact with one another when the plug connector and the socket connector have been pushed into one another.
Such a connector assembly is disclosed by the International Patent Application WO 88.04484. This describes two connectors, a plug connector and a socket connector which can be pushed into one another. The plug connector comprises two rows of male terminal pins which are able to mate with two rows of female terminal connections of the socket connector. Between the two rows of male terminal pins in the housing of the plug connector there is accommodated at least one plate-type shielding member. Accommodated between the two rows of female terminal connections in the housing of the socket connector is also a shielding member which has a female structure with sprung lips which grip round the plate-type shielding member of the plug connector if the plug connector is connected to the socket connector. If a plug connector and a socket connector are connected, shielding against electromagnetic interference is therefore produced between the two rows of male and female terminals. The shielding members may optionally be used for power supply or may be set to a predetermined voltage, for example ground. A variety of such, electrically separated combinations of a shielding plate and a female shielding member may be provided alongside one another, which combinations can each supply their own voltage or current.
A disadvantage of the known device is that the shielding plate in the plug connector is not sprung and is relatively thick. As a result, the combination of a shielding consisting of a shielding plate which is accommodated in a gripping manner in a female shielding member of a socket connector takes up a relatively large amount of space. This obstructs further miniaturized.